Arrow: "The Climb"Review

You can draw a lot of parallels between last night’s Flash episode and tonight’s Arrow. Both served as mid-season finales. Both prominently featured a major villain who had only appeared briefly in the past. Both also worked to set the stage for another DC hero to come on the scene. There were many similarities, but the overall impact in this episode was stronger. Arrow needed a bigger, bolder villain this season, and it got one in Ra’s al Ghul.

Even the opening of “The Climb” paralleled “The Man in the Yellow Suit,” as we were treated to a brief flash-forward of Ollie surmounting a cliff before the episode flashed back 48 hours earlier. This framing device was repeated several times throughout the episode, always serving to heighten the tension and the build-up to the final showdown between the Arrow and the Demon’s Head.

There was a definite sense of increased momentum this week. The mystery behind Sara Lance’s murder again became the focus, with Ollie and the gang now given a strict 48-hour ultimatum to either turn over her killer or face the League’s wrath. After two months of build-up, we finally learned the killer’s identity. I can’t say I was surprised to learn it was Thea, between the DNA almost matching Ollie’s and the footage of her accompanying Malcolm Merlyn. But that wasn’t really the point. The conflict quickly became more about Ollie trying to understand why Thea could have committed such an act, and choosing how far he would go to defend his last living family member. This became a much more emotionally stirring conflict than a mere whodunit.

I was almost disappointed that Thea’s actions were explained away by the magical brainwashing root. It would be far more interesting if she had fired the arrows of her own free will and was forced to be held accountable for her actions. Though maybe Thea needed that level of sympathy to her actions given how much Ollie gave up for her in the end. In any case, it was cool to see Ollie and Thea briefly battle it out in their apartment. His stunned reaction upon realizing that his sister had become a martial arts whiz was pretty great.

This conflict culminated on a great note as Ollie decided that he would rather throw himself to the wolves and be devoured rather than risk turning the League’s wrath on Thea. He definitely played right into Merlyn’s hand, but he didn’t have much choice. Any chance that Merlyn might have softened since his defeat two years ago is clearly gone. Having already manipulated Ollie and wormed his way out of the League’s crosshairs, Merlyn is free to carry out whatever the next stage of his plan might be. You have to wonder if he’ll prove to be the true villain of the season rather than Ra’s.

Ollie bidding farewell to his friends was easily one of the most emotionally stirring moments of the season. It was pretty clear that he knew he was going to his death and acted accordingly. His goodbye to Felicity was powerful stuff.

The confrontation with Ra’s didn’t disappoint either. In a lot of ways, Matt Nable is an odd choice to play the iconic villain. He’s more rugged and scruffy than you’d expect of the character, and even his accent is less refined than what we’ve seen in the past. But Nable does bring charisma and danger to the part. He also has the physicality to pull off a shirtless sword fight with a guy who spends 90% of his free time on a salmon ladder. Nable doesn’t look or sound much like Ra’s, but he manages to be Ra’s all the same.

The Demon demands results.

The sword duel was definitely a highlight of the episode. From Ra’s story about his first kill (“I replaced great evil with death.”) to his choice to fight without a blade of his own, it was clear how badly outmatched Ollie was. And even though our hero nearly got the drop on Ra’s at the end, death finally came him, as promised.

Now, obviously the writers aren’t going to kill off the show’s main character halfway into the third season. Ra’s offhand remark about Ollie being the first person in 67 years to challenge him was pregnant with meaning. It all but confirms that Lazarus Pits exist in this universe and that Ra’s uses them. Ollie is probably due for a good soak himself. But what sort of man will emerge from the pit? Could Ollie become a servant of the Demon, thereby leaving Starling City undefended in this crucial time?

It’s also interesting to note that, if Ra’s hasn’t been challenged in so long, what does that say about his possible rivalry with Batman? Even as the appearance of characters like Ra’s al Ghul and Harley Quinn in this universe would seem to indirectly confirm Batman’s existence, comments like that suggest otherwise. Unfortunately, given the off-limits nature of characters like Batman and Superman, we may never know for sure.

The writers also found time for several subplots in between all the League business. Laurel continued to mourn her sister’s death, with the added complication that her mother briefly returned to town. The whole notion that Dinah’s motherly intuition can tell her precisely when her daughter died was a bit silly, but Laurel’s confession was nonetheless another key emotional moment in an already emotional episode. With Ollie dead… ish, it’s looking like it’s going to fall on Laurel to suit up and seek some justice.

The flashbacks also tied in nicely with the rest of the episode. Ollie continued embracing his new role as torturer, while the return of China White spelled major trouble for the Yamashiro clan. Maseo’s surprise appearance in the present was underscored by the dark developments in the flashback. Frankly, I would have expected him to be dead by now given the nature of Katana’s comic book origin story. Instead the show is taking a less predictable route with these characters, and so much the better for it.

Exit Theatre Mode

Finally, there was a little focus on Ray Palmer and his true motivations for coming to Starling City. Unfortunately, much like the Firestorm material in Flash last night, this build-up to The Atom seemed out of place relative to everything else going on. It was nice to see a different side of the normally jovial Ray, but maybe that material would have been better served appearing in a later episode?

I will say that Felicity’s reaction to the A.T.O.M. suit was pretty hilarious - “Why does this keep happening to me?”. At this point she seems destined to play the straight woman to every single budding superhero in the world.

The Verdict

Arrow never disappoints when it comes to finales (mid-season or otherwise). This episode offered a steady stream of tension and emotional drama as Ollie learned the truth about his sister and chose to confront his own death. Both Ra's al Ghul and Malcolm Merlyn emerged as clear and present threats to Starling City. While the Ray Palmer scenes seemed out of place alongside everything else, that didn't do much to detract from a darkly satisfying installment.